July 31, 2015, signifies a most remarkable day of the year. It is the first full moon after the Summer Solstice and is customarily known as Guru Purnima – a day to give gratitude to your Guru. Dr. Pillai founded the Tripura Foundation to change the world by eliminating extreme poverty and...
Malayayi, a single mother, has gone from from feeling utterly hopeless and attempting to take her own life, to shining as a beacon of hope to all of the women in her village. Malayayi was born into a family of ten whose elderly parents had little to offer their children. By the time she came of...
Rosetta, a resident of the South Bronx for over 40 years, has been attending the Melrose Mobile Market (one of Tripura Foundation’s partner food banks) since its launch in October 2004. Rosetta lives with her granddaughter and says that the free produce distribution at the market helps her...
Kannathaal, a 73-year-old widow, has been affected by Leprosy for the past 40 years. After she was diagnosed with Leprosy, her only son abandoned her, fearing that he might contract it. Alone, she lives very meagerly on a minimal pension provided by the government. Her hands were most affected by...
Pavadharini is 11 years old. When she came to one of Tripura Foundation’s Hope Learning Centers, she shared her story in a voice that was barely loud enough for us to hear. She shared that her mother committed suicide when she was just 7 years old. Pavadharini was left with her father,...
Lalitha joined one of Tripura Foundation’s Hope Learning Centers about three years ago. She is the youngest of six children. She lost her mother at birth, and as the sole wage-earner, her father struggles to provide the basic necessities for himself and his children. When she joined our...
A few months ago, we shared the story of Sabreesh, one of Tripura Foundation’s Hope Learning Center students and a 2014 Hope Hero awardee. Sabreesh suffered from a rare blood disorder and other health issues that often left him weak, and ultimately shortened his life. Our hearts are heavy at the...
Through our Million Meals of HoPE initiative, we’ve become a vital umbrella organization with a national commitment to feed the hungry. To strategically consolidate efforts, we partner with food banks that have local community reach. One of our partner food banks, Feeding America West Michigan,...
Karupaathaal did not have a great start in life. She has no memories of her childhood, and she was married in her early teens. Life felt cruel to her because she was never blessed with a child. She only had her husband to lean on throughout her life, until he passed away. Since then, she has been...
Panjaliammal and Chinnaponu are two elderly sisters living in India. They both grew up in dire poverty. Their parents barely earned enough to feed the family, so as soon as the sisters were old enough, their parents got them married, and they moved to different areas in India with their...
Anyone who looks at Kanavalli for the first time would have no idea that she has endured so much pain in her 12 short years of existence on this earth. She doesn’t know who her biological parents are, as she grew up in an orphanage from infancy. It’s equally hard to believe her story as she...
Selva Kumar was three years old when his parents discovered he had a medical condition. He suffers from partial paralysis. After learning of his condition, his parents abandoned him when he was four years old. They left him in the care of his 70-year-old grandmother. He and his grandmother had...